T-Wolves' Dante Cunningham Arrested for Assault, 'Terroristic' Texts
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Dante Cunningham was arrested on a felony domestic assault charge last week, and he was arrested again Sunday for allegedly making "terroristic" threats.
Cunningham allegedly tried to strangle a woman at his home in Medina, west of Minneapolis, and was arrested Friday on domestic violence charges. He bailed himself out, played in a T-Wolves game against Orlando on Saturday, and then was back in jail on a separate charge on Sunday afternoon, reports the Star Tribune.
How did Cunningham manage to get himself arrested twice in one week?
Domestic Incidents Lead to 2 Arrests
Both incidents involved a woman who has apparently been living with Dante Cunningham for eight months. According to the Star Tribune, Cunningham and this woman had been arguing last week -- a fight that allegedly escalated into Cunningham slamming her into a wall and choking her.
Minnesota's legislature has made it a felony to strangle family or household members, which includes live-in girlfriends. Defendants can face up to three years in prison if convicted. Like most states, Minnesota also allows judges to grant orders for protection for domestic violence victims.
These orders prevent contact, among other things, between domestic violence attackers and their victims. Violating one of these orders can lead to a separate criminal charge and potentially more jail or prison time.
According to The Associated Press, Cunningham's second arrest corresponded with allegedly threatening messages sent to his choking victim. These messages not only violated the protection order from the domestic violence case, they were reportedly "terroristic" threats.
T-Wolves Respond
Cunningham is currently being held without bail on the domestic violence charge, and the Timberwolves are looking into the matter. On Sunday, the T-Wolves issued a statement that the team doesn't "condone the behavior described in the accusations," but plans to "wait for the legal process to run its course" before taking action, reports the AP.
While other pro teams have suspended players during pending civil or criminal investigations, Cunningham may still be ready to play for the T-Wolves -- once he's released from jail, that is.
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